Eating out with young kids can be challenging, especially in New York City, although restaurants are opening almost every day. Food stains on the tablecloth, forks on the floor, high volume iPads: all ingredients for a real nightmare, both for parents and other customers. Let’s face it: some restaurants just aren’t suited for the younger set.
But traditional Italian conviviality can come to your support. As a matter of fact, in Italy we just l-o-v-e to eat out on Sundays, to celebrate festivities at restaurants, to gather the family around a beautifully set table – yes, we’re Italians, any excuse to enjoy food. That’s why it’s common to find special menus for children with reduced portions and prices in Italian restaurants. They’re called Menù Bambini and can usually be found at the bottom of the list.
Pizza and spaghetti are perennial kids’ favorites, so choosing an Italian restaurant could be a good start for a delightful family meal. Besides fancy restaurants, New York City offers multiple choices for an enjoyable meal in famiglia.
Becco
Lidia Bastianich and her son Joe opened Becco in 1993, and it has become one of the most famous Italian restaurants in NYC. Your children will relish the Spaghetti al Pomodoro con Grana Padano or the Lasagna Bolognese with house-made pasta. And as conscious parents, you’ll appreciate the high-quality ingredients. Becco is right in the middle of the theater district, so it would be the perfect place to have a family dinner after seeing Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on Broadway.
Becco's Spaghetti al Pomodoro con Grana Padano
Eataly NYC Flatiron
The epic Italian food marketplace contains different restaurants and counters, but there’s one in particular that would be perfect for children. It’s called Il Pastaio di Eataly, a fresh pasta bar where you can savor a variety of regional Italian pastas. Here, kids will be hypnotized as they watching the magical moves of the pastaio at the pasta-making table just behind the bar.
Il Pastaio di Eataly
Uva
Although ranked as one of the city’s most-loved wine bar restaurants, Uva has Meatball Mondays. What kid can resist meatballs? This lovely place offers a special menu, including spaghetti with meatballs, which they’ll get a kick out of if they’ve just seen Disney’s Lady and the Tramp. Also, the dessert follows the main menu: Polpetta di Gelato, a cinnamon ice-cream ball slider served with apple sticks and caramel sauce. Yummy.
Uva's Meatballs
Forlini’s Restaurant
Since 1943, the family runs the place with Italian pride offering familiar red-sauce cooking. Kids will be delighted by homemade gnocchi al pesto or bolognese. The white tablecloths can’t wait to be cheerfully stained by ragù. And as a nod to the dads, there are big flat-screen TVs so they can keep one eye on the score of the ballgame while the other makes sure the little ones don’t wreak havoc. Killing two birds with one stone...
Forlini's Gnocchi al Pesto
Patrizia’s
Founders, chefs and brothers, Giacomo and Gennaro Alaio were both born in Naples and came to the United States when they were just eight and ten years old to live in Brooklyn with their grandparents. Long story short: they opened Patrizia’s restaurant in the Bronx in 1991, bringing the authentically simple recipes of Neapolitan cuisine to New York. Since then, 11 more restaurants have opened throughout the Tri-State area offering Italian traditional food. Take your children to the Manhattan one, home of the famous Stella (Star) Pizza & Mezzaluna for a nice meal.
Patrizia's Stella Margherita Pizza